A geo-fence is a dynamically generated, predefined set of boundaries—as in a radius around a store or other location—similar to school attendance zones or neighborhood boundaries.

Why use it in physician-targeted marketing plans?

The latest data (source: Kantar Media) shows that 68% of healthcare professionals (HCPs) surveyed use smartphones for professional purposes on a daily basis.

Over the past year, HCPs have increased their usage by 77%, and usage continues to grow rapidly.

Geo-fencing allows marketers to message physicians by specialty and location, using a combination of GPS and wireless technology (mobile or Wi-Fi). Strategically selecting a geographical point of interest creates a virtual zone (aka, a geo-fence) to deliver a brand message or initiate an action.

A fantastic application of this medium would be at medical conferences. The technology also allows for creating a zone around hospitals or medical centers such as the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic. Multiple geo-circles can be created and varying messaging served depending on campaign goals. Once a physician/allied healthcare professional enter the geo-fence, relevant ads (eg, brand awareness, clinical information, or a coupon/voucher) are delivered to that individual based on his or her preferences and other targeting attributes. Think of it as virtual geo-targeting—creating a more targeted communication to a specific subset of HCPs within a very specific demographic location.

Not receiving the results you want? Then expand the radius of your parameters.

IAB mobile banner ad sizes can be utilized to target based on location of their users. This will enable higher conversions assisting with better brand ROI.

It is known that the mobile market still remains highly fragmented.

One vendor offering a solution is Tomorrow Networks (TN). TN has partnered with Physicians Interactive and Remedy Systems to connect brands with their HCPs and consumers via online/mobile applications solutions. Their network consists of HCPs in all specialties, and they have the ability to geo-fence, which can be an added feature to an existing campaign.

Mobile is the fastest growing segment in the advertising industry—don’t miss the boat.

Whether you are optimizing your campaign by state, mobile device, apps, specialty, uniques, or even impressions—do it in real time. Consider geo-fencing for your next mobile campaign.